What the Racial Data Show: The pandemic seems to be hitting people of color the hardest.
- IBRAM X. KENDI
- Apr 7, 2020
- 1 min read
I dread every time my partner leaves our home. I dread every time Sadiqa marches to the front lines of the war against COVID-19—the emergency department. I dread every time she comes home and removes her personal protective equipment.
Sadiqa is worried like a soldier in a total war, seeing so many medical providers going down, seeing so many patients going down. I am worried about her health—and my own, as someone surviving metastatic cancer. I am worried about all medical providers, all Americans who have compromised immune systems, all Americans who are infected, all Americans who are healthy and want to remain that way.
As a student of health disparities, I am especially worried about the well-being of people of color. And people of color appear to be especially worried about their own well-being. Black people, at 46 percent, and Latinos, at 39 percent, are about twice as likely as white people, at 21 percent, to view the coronavirus as a major threat to their health.
Last week, I called for states, counties, and private labs to begin reporting the racial demographics of the people who are being tested for, infected with, hospitalized with, or killed by COVID-19. Read Full Article
This is such a critical breakdown of how health disparities are tragically magnified during a crisis. It really underscores why diverse and representative data in medical research is so vital. For any researchers in this field looking to amplify these important discussions, a key step is to submit medical research paper for publication in a reputable journal. Navigating that process successfully ensures that these crucial findings on health inequities reach the clinical and policy audiences who need to see them, ultimately helping to drive real-world change.